Tall, Dark And Daring
HER DARETessa O'Neal has taken on her sexy old flame, Mitch Ryder, as a client. That means she has to spend the next seven days in this man's constant company and not fall into his bed. No problem. They may have once set the sheets on fire but she can definitely resist him. After all, that was then, this is now–and she got him out of her system long ago.HIS CHALLENGEMitch has never forgotten the passionate time he spent with Tessa. And he wants to relive it. So before the week is up, he's going to use every sensual secret he knows to seduce her back into his arms. But their hot embraces are more powerful than ever and now they'll have to decide if they're daring enough to extend their week.…
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Maybe he could allow himself one kiss
Mitch leaned close enough to breathe in the scent that had teased his senses all day. Tessa smelled like exotic flowers and it aroused the hell out of him.
He just needed one taste. Just to see if she was as sweet as he remembered.
âThere are so many potential customers here.â Her voice faltered as he hovered near. âSo many opportunities.â She edged away as if that would discourage him.
Fat chance. He could tell by the agitated flick of her tongue over her lips that she wanted the kiss as badly as he did.
He skimmed his hand over her thighs. âIâm only interested in following up on one particular opportunity, Tessa.â Sliding one arm around her waist, he pulled her to him. Her breathing hitched at the contact.
When her eyes drifted shut, Mitch homed in on her mouth for the kiss heâd dreamed about since their last one. Every drop of blood in his veins surged south. At just one blasted kiss.
What made him think he could ever stop at just a kiss?
Dear Reader,
The wintry Adirondack Mountains have never seen such a heat wave as when Tessa OâNeal reunites with former snowboarder Mitch Ryderâ¦and ends up igniting a relationship thatâs too hot to handle!
Marketing maven Tessa has as much competitive spirit as the next woman. When her best friend challenges her to stay out of her old flameâs bed for a whole week, however, Tessa begins to think some bets are meant to be lost!
I hope you enjoy this steamy trip to the winter wonderland of Lake Placid, New York, as much as Tessa does. Visit me at www.JoanneRock.com to learn more about my future releases or to let me know what you think of this book. Iâd love to hear from you!
Happy reading!
Joanne Rock
Books by Joanne Rock
HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION
863âLEARNING CURVES
HARLEQUIN BLAZE
26âSILK, LACE & VIDEOTAPE
48âIN HOT PURSUIT
54âWILD AND WILLING
To K. Sue Morgan, friend and mentor extraordinaire. Thank you for caring about my characters as much as I do!
To the Rocks, for accepting me into their big, happy clan and inspiring my love of the North Country. And to Dean, a thrill seeker in his own right.
Contents
Prologue
âWHAT WILL IT BE, Tessa? Truth or dare?â
Tessa OâNeal tossed back another Jell-O shot, the South Beach sunset twinkling rainbows through her thick crimson drink. How could she live in this paradise full of gorgeous men and still end up playing adolescent games with her girlfriend on a Friday night?
âTruth,â she answered, loud enough for Ines to hear over the salsa music and happy hour crowd at the open-air bar on Ocean Drive. Forget the dare. Ines would think of something really embarrassing for her to do.
Ines Cordovaâs armful of silver bracelets jangled as she waggled a chiding finger at Tessa. Ines was more than Tessaâs boss at Westwood Marketing. The two of them had been friends since Tessa was a freshman in college and Ines had been a grad student.
âThat is your third truth in row, chica. I remember a time when you did not always run from a dare.â
Tessa started to shake her head, then stopped when the thrum in her temples informed her sheâd almost reached her Jell-O shot quota. âLetâs not go there.â
Tessa wouldnât be sitting around getting toasted if she hadnât had a colossally bad day. Sheâd planned this night out with Ines weeks ago as sort of a last hurrah before Tessa left Westwood to start her own business.
But the night had taken a decidedly glum turn since Tessa ended up breaking off her engagement to a perfectly great guy. What had she been thinking to give him his ring back just because he didnât leave her breathless every time he walked in a room like a certain guy sheâd dated so many years ago?
She definitely didnât need to go there.
Where was the waiter with those shots?
âNow is the ideal time to go there.â Ines shoved the plate of nachos they were sharing in Tessaâs direction. âYou say you do not know why you broke things off with Rob, but you do. The man is as much fun as a surfboard in Kansas, querida, and he is all wrong for you.â
âHeâs reliable, and responsible, and heâs a grown-up.â Unlike others sheâd dated, especially one playful hunk she wouldnât forget even with a truckload of Jell-O shots.
Ines shook her head. Her long earrings hopped back and forth over her bare shoulders. âYou need a man with a sense of adventure to match your own.â
Tessa leaned across the table, hoping to make her point. âIâve outgrown my sense of adventure, Ines. Maybe racking up one divorce and one broken engagement in five years has sapped it all. But I donât have any desire to dance on the table with a rose between my teeth or start a bunny-hop chain through the bar. Itâs not me.â She pulled off the cheesiest nacho on the plate and crunched a big bite.
Ines scowled. âIt was not the bunny hop, it was the locomotion, Tessa, and everyone had a blast.â
